MANAMA (Bahrain) - Ahmed Alderazi didn't hide that beating Manama meant so much more in a stage as big as the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL).
The seasoned guard and Al Ahli Club did so Monday night to take Game 1 of their 2024/2025 Gulf League Qualification to Semi-Finals tiff, marking the second time in a span of five days that they got the best of their fellow Bahraini powerhouse.
It's still a 50-50 possibility.
For starters, they beat their long-time rivals by way of an 84-76 result last January 28 in their Bahraini Premier League encounter, thus the confidence on their part that they can pull it off again in their meeting in the pan-regional meet - which they did.
"The first win gave us the confidence boost for tonight, which is even more important because Manama is a top WASL team," offered the Al Ahli team captain during the postgame press conference of their 65-56 victory at the BBA Arena.
"[They] came second place twice and won the Final 8. And it just meant a lot to us on another level, even more than our win in the local tournament," he added.
Alderazi sure knows everything about Manama and their campaigns in past WASL seasons, having played for them and achieving success along the way.
Apart from being a key cog in their back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Gulf League, the 34-year-old played an important role as well in helping the club emerge as the league's inaugural champions by winning the Final 8 in Dubai in 2023.
Fast forward to Monday and he'd prove to be a bane to his former team, firing a quartet of three-pointers on the way to finishing with 22 points.
He shot an efficient 7-of-13 from the floor and also collected 3 rebounds and 5 assists plus a pair of steals, netting a team-best efficiency of 23.
"I'm pretty much used to it by now," said Alderazi when asked about facing Manama. "Because I've played for Muharraq and beat Al Ahli, then now with Manama."
Still, he has nothing but love and respect toward the organization where he built lasting memories with, and the familiarity he has with them is also the reason why he chooses to stay grounded despite being ahead 1-0 in the best-of-3 series.
They do have a chance to close it out in Game 2 next week to sweep their way into the Semi-Finals, but Alderazi refuses to see it that way as he anticipates a furious retaliation from a team hungry to win its maiden Gulf League crown.
"It's still a 50-50 possibility," he said when asked about their chances. "Because Manama is a top class team, a champion team that will recover and come back even stronger. But we will be ready as a team to face them in Game 2 next week."
Game 2 is set February 10, 19:30 local time, still at the BBA Arena.
FIBA